Not the F-Word

Quick food. Speedy food. Not-so-much-work food. But NOT fast food.

As part of my effort to get through my recipes-to-try pile I pulled this one from.... well, January/February 2010. Shaddup.

The two best parts? First, I could make the marinade ahead of time and just toss the chicken in when I got home from running errands that day. It came together SO fast. Second, by using crushed corn flakes instead of bread crumbs I got a terrifically crispy coating; not "pretty good considering it's gluten-free", but actually really tasty and I would make it that way even if I could eat the world's most common food. Not that I'm still bitter or anything.

Ideally I'd make my own BBQ sauce, because store-bought sauce can be REALLY high in sugar/high fructose corn syrup. But this is the real world where I'm in my busy season at work, so I just thank Trader Joe's for the assist.

Cost-conscious tip: cutting chicken breasts into strips will save you around 40 cents/pound (at least) over buying pre-cut tenders. And since DH likes drumsticks, which are way less pricey than chicken breasts, we did half & half.

A salad is a great side dish with this. If you're going for more of a party atmosphere, just do carrots and celery sticks. In the summer this would go perfectly with corn on the cob.

BBQ Chicken Tenders
Eating Well, January/February 2010

1 cup prepared barbecue sauce [check the ingredients if you're gluten-free, or make your own with ketchup, molasses, cider vinegar, and black pepper]
2 TBSP Dijon mustard
2 TBSP honey (I used a smidge less than 1 TBSP)
1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders
1/2 cup all-purpose flour [OR gluten-free faux flour]
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cups coarse dry breadcrumbs, preferably whole-wheat [OR crushed corn flakes if you're going gluten-free]

1. Combine barbecue sauce, mustard, and honey in a large bowl or Ziploc bag. Set aside 1/2 cup of chicken tenders in half lengthwise, then add all the chicken to the large bowl with the remaining sauce. Stir to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Coat a large rimed baking sheet with cooking spray.

3. Combine flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish. Lightly beat eggs in another shallow dish. Place breadcrumbs (or crushed cornflakes) in a third hallow dish. Coat each tender in flour, shaking off any excess. Dip in egg and let any excess drip off. Then roll in the breadcrumb.

4. Place the chicken on the prepared baking sheet. Generously coat chicken with cooking spray.

5. Bake for 10 minutes. Turn each tender (or leg) over and continue baking until the outside is crisp and the tender are cooked through, about 10 minutes more. Serve with the reserved sauce for dipping.